


Nightmares and Feathers

by Lunarbirb



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Ashe is a baby and I love him, Felix comforts Sylvain, Felix learns to love, Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, If you squint there's minor Linhardt/Caspar, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Nightmares, Not Beta Read, PTSD, Relationship(s), Sad Sylvain Jose Gautier, Supportive Ashe, Sylvain struggles, Sylvain struggles with anxiety, soft moments, supportive friends, sylvix - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:42:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21612451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarbirb/pseuds/Lunarbirb
Summary: Sylvain is plagued by post-war nightmares, and Felix begins to notice his friend's odd behaviours.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius & Sylvain Jose Gautier
Kudos: 17





	Nightmares and Feathers

**Author's Note:**

> Hey I'm back again //kicks myself to bed
> 
> I'm still not good at writing summaries or tagging so whoops, enjoy this word vomit.

_Garreg Mach, Imperial Year 1183, 3/12. 6:12am_

_“…”_

_“…..”_

_“.....lvain!”_

_“….Sylvain!”_

_“Sylvian wake up!”_

_“...Wake up, please…”_

Sylvain jolted up from his bed with a groggy snort, his eyes wide and his heart pounding. He felt cold sweat dripping down his back and ran a hand through his red hair, feeling sticky from sweat. “..another nightmare…” He breathed out, dropping his head into his hand. Lately the young knight had been plagued with nightmares of the war, seeing his own death and his friends along the way. It caused a shiver to ghost down his back when he thought about it again, making his stomach churn and nausea sting at his airways. Tears stung his eyes as the bottle inside started to unseal itself within his chest as anxiety took over. He wasn’t sure when it began but soon he was curled up leaning against his bed, knees pulled to his chest and head dipped onto his knees.

A knock at his door brought him back, a gutteral gasp as he choked back another sob that threatened to wreck his frame. He sniffled and looked toward the door, hearing the knock again. It was soft and soon the cheery voice of Ashe soon followed. “Sylvain, you’re gonna miss breakfast! I made your favourite…” The ashened haired man said from the other side of the door. Sylvain sighed silently before getting up off the floor, steeling himself before opening the door to greet the smaller knight.

“Hey Ashe, sorry. I’ll get dressed and head over soon.” He said in the most confident and calm voice he could, which was surprisingly easy after so many years of pretending. A small smile made it more believable, as the ashy haired man simply smiled back. “Very well, I’ll save some for you.” He said and began to leave before stopping and looking back at the red haired man. “...I just wanted to let you know that you’re able to talk to me if you ever need it, okay Sylvain?” He said in a soft tone that he tended to use when trying to comfort someone. Taken back, Sylvain laughed awkwardly. “What do you mean, I’m perfectly fine!” He said and threw his arms behind his neck.

Ashe sighed and shook his head a bit. “Your face is tear stained.” He pointed out, watching the momentary shock flash over Sylvain’s face. Sylvain knew when he was caught, there was no use trying to defend it against Ashe, one of the more kinder people of the blue lions. “I--” He couldn’t find the words to reply. “Thank you...I’ll come to the dining hall soon..” He said and closed the door behind him to put some proper clothes on.

* * *

* * *

_Garreg Mach, Imperial Year 1183, 4/22. 3:56am_

_“Sylvain! Please don’t leave--”_

_“...Please wake up!”_

Sylvain choked out a sob as he shot up in his bed for the 4th time that night. His eyes burned from tears that had started pouring during his disrupted slumber, his throat tight. He gulped down air as his chest heaved. He was startled by a pounding at the door and a familiar voice.

“Sylvain, you’d better be dying in there!”

Ah...Felix...He must’ve woken him on accident. He stood up and shakily walked to the door, cracking it open. “Sorry Felix--” He began only to be cut off by his childhood friend barging in. “No you’re not.” Felix grumbled, still in his sleep attire and had a pillow in his arms. “Close the door.” The blue haired man said before sitting down on Sylvian’s bed. Felix was never good with emotions it seemed, always kinda bossy. Sylvain simply closed the door and shuffled back to his bed, sitting down quietly, trying to ignore the burning brown orbs that tracked his every movement and always seemed to see right through him. “They’ve gotten worse, haven’t they.” Felix stated rather than asked. Sylvain nodded.

“Haven’t you tried speaking with Manuela?” He asked, Sylvain shook his head. “Mercedes?” Same reaction. Felix sighed and put his pillow down, laying back onto it. Sylvain looked at him with slight confusion, though felt a bit of the tension in his shoulders leave. “Lay down, stupid.” Felix grumbled and yawned. Sylvian hesitated before laying down, keeping some distance between himself and the snapdragon before him. Felix begrudgingly pulled Sylvain closer, wrapping his arms around the taller man. “Try to get some sleep…” He mumbled into Sylvain’s shoulder, making himself comfortable for the time being. He knew that Sylvain was calmer when he was around, like he was his nightmare’s kryptonite. He only knew that due to lowkey research he conducted when the nightmares began.

Sylvain didn’t protest. He hesitantly moved his arms around Felix, allowing himself to relax slightly more when Felix didn’t snap at him for where his hands rested. “Goodnight, Felix…” He whispered to him and pulled the covers over them a bit more. Felix muttered a response, eyes already closed.

* * *

* * *

_Garreg Mach, Imperial Year 1183, 6/18. 8:27pm_

A low whistle caused Sylvain to turn and look towards the familiar blue haired man, a grin splitting across his face, cheekily grinning at the grumpy man. “Heyy Felix, what’s up?” He said and stretched his arms behind his head leisurely. “Heading back to the dormitories?” The redhead asked, tilting his head a bit. He had just finished tending to his horse, this one who he named “Ari”.

Felix scoffed and placed a hand on his hip while the other pointed at Sylvain. “Shut up, come with me.” He barked and swiftly pivoted before leaving the way he came. Felix was never one for many pleasantries, rather getting to the point to avoid unnecessary banter. With a confused but curious look, Sylvian let his arms fall to his sides while he followed Felix like a lost puppy (but of course he never noticed he did it). “Where are we going, Felix?” Sylvian asked, but only got a grunt in reply.

The two walked for a little bit before Felix stopped and looked back at the redhead. They were in the garden where the gazebo awaited, Linhardt, Ashe, and Caspar trying to sneak away silently. It was kind of hard when Caspar was not-so-quietly whispering “See, Felix can be nice!” before gaining a jab to the side from a sleepy Linhardt. “I never doubted he could be. I need a nap now though…” He whispered back, a yawn escaping soon after. Ashe shushed them and corralled them from the garden as the other two men arrived.

Sylvain raised an eyebrow at Felix, who in turn looked away and stubbornly walked over to the gazebo. There was a couple tea cups, a teapot, and some not-so-sweet pastries. Not much but enough to snack if they wanted. Sylvain only got more confused when Felix sat down and looked at him expectantly. Sylvain sat down, looking at the blue haired man. “What’s going on?” He asked, looking over the pile of pillows, blankets, and other small things. Felix crossed his arms and tilted his head away from Sylvain, a soft flush taking over his cheeks. “It was Ashe and Caspar’s idea...I swear ever since those two joined our class while we still were students here those two became like siblings…” He mumbled, clearing his throat a bit. “Linhardt had provided the blankets and pillows--” He said and looked at the rest of it “--and Ashe baked the pastries while Caspar just watched.” He said and hid his face in the drape of his bangs.

Surprised, Sylvain chuckled and leaned toward Felix. “That’s so sweet, it’s almost like a date~” He joked, leaning on his hands. Felix jolted upright and stared Sylvain down, his lips pressed to a thin line as his cheeks burned red. “Well--It’s not!” Felix stammered out. It wasn’t often he saw him do that. Feeling flirty like he always did, Sylvain winked at Felix and chuckled at the reaction he got. “Shut up.” He growled and sunk further into his coat’s fur trimming. “Aww...but it’s fun teasing you.” Sylvain protested lightheartedly.

Felix stood up and slammed his hands on the table. “Shut, or I will leave.” He said, leaning closer to Sylvain absentmindedly. Despite Felix’s cold exterior, he could become quite flustered at times when it came to Sylvain. He only cared so much because they grew up together, or at least that’s what he tells himself. His heart leaped when Sylvain looked away a bit sadly. “Ah..I’m sorry. I don’t mean to upset you--” Sylvain said, his usual happy eyes clouding over a bit with an unknown emotion to Felix. Felix sighed and sat down again, gently taking one of Sylvian’s hands. “I hear you screaming at night sometimes…” He began, glancing away at the grass as if it was more interesting than looking at Sylvain’s eyes.

“It’s...startling to say the least.” He continued and squeezed his hand. “Do you care for me so much that you have nightmares?” He asked, his eyebrows knitted together as he looked back at the knight. Sylvain tensed and stared back at Felix, his own eyebrows pulled together as if a string was pulled to do so. “I--” Sylvain gritted his teeth and looked shallowly at the ground. “It blurs together but it’s so vivid...I see Ingrid, Dimitri…” He whispered, dragging his free hand through his hair for it to only flop back into place. “You...you all died…” His voice was barely a whisper when he said it, his voice cracking slightly when the familiar lump in his throat began to swell. “All I could do was watch before my own death.” He said, staring down at his hand. “It just replays...all in different ways.” He said, not noticing the drops landing on the soft part of his armoured gloves. “It’s terrifying.” He said, his voice cracking.

Felix listened, his own heart tightening at the thought. He shifted closer to Sylvain, crouching in front of his chair. “Sylvain...It’s okay.” He said, his own voice uneasy due to the lack of ability to console people. He struggled a bit with his words. “You won’t lose me that easily.” He said, his eyes more-or-less determined when he pushed Sylvain’s chin up with his other hand, forcing him to look at himself. “and I won’t let them take you so easily as well. You’d better not die before I do.” He bit back the growl to his tone, knowing it wasn’t the time for his temper.

Sylvain stared at Felix with bug eyes, tears freely flowing from the brassy orbs. “Felix, Now is not the time for the promise.” He said, glancing away but didn’t bother to move his head. Felix bit his lip and squeezed Sylvain’s jaw a bit. “Listen here, Gautier. I will not let you die. Even if it costs me my life--” He was getting loud like when he’s starting to rant, his eyes staring into Sylvain’s own. Before he could continue, he was distracted by the little crinkle by Sylvain’s eyes when he smiled. He stopped abruptly and recoiled back, letting go of his jaw a bit. Looking away, Felix sat back down in his chair and crossed his arms, pouting a bit. Sylvain stood up and shuffled over to Felix, boxing him in against the table.

“You know Felix...you’re adorable when you blush.” He said and leaned forward, dropping his voice to a whisper. “I’ve always found that cute about you. Ever since we were kids. Your passion when speaking, near rant like almost.” He chuckled, feeling Felix grab at the armour blocking him in. “Sylvain--Get off me.” Felix grunted and was forced to look at him, otherwise risked hitting his head against the chest plate. “Not yet.” Sylvain replied. “Let me finish speaking.” He said and leaned a bit closer. “You always told me you hated me, and I can understand. My attitude in the first few years was unforgiving and you have the right to hate me for that...but truthfully I only really chased after girls so much to distract myself from someone else.” He said, glancing at Felix. It was Felix’s turn to be bug eyed. “The one my heart chased was a blue haired boy who was a very stubborn person, always trained and rarely gave me the light of day. He was admittedly a bit rude. But nevertheless my heart yearned for that boy instead of the girls who wanted me.” He continued, cupping Felix’s cheek with one of his hands. “Felix I--I’ve loved you since we were students. Probably before then too but I never really knew what love was…” He said quietly, feeling Felix tense under him. His heart throbbed, readying itself for rejection.

“You’re such an idiot.” Felix groaned and closed the gap between the two, pressing an angry kiss to the redhead’s lips. He wrapped his arms around Sylvain’s shoulders, pulling him closer as the kiss went from angry to built up passion from over the years. Felix pulled away when he heard a familiar light blue haired boy wolf whistle, only to be silenced by Linhardt who in turn, kissed him. Ashe stared bug eyed at the two, deciding to break them apart and shoo them.

Sylvain chuckled, but kept his eyes on Felix. His cheeks burned bright again, almost matching Sylvain’s hair. “Felix, I didn’t know you felt that way~” He teased, snaking his arms around him and pressed another kiss to his lips. Felix allowed it, pressing another one back before pulling away. “Shut it, I still can’t stand you sometimes.” He said with no venom to his tone. Sylvain chuckled, carding his fingers through the blue locks that were tied up. “It’s getting late.” He said, noting the fireflies that had started to buzz around. Felix hummed. “Let’s stay here...just a little longer.” He whispered, closing the gap between them again.

For the first time in a long while, Sylvain felt completely at peace.

* * *

* * *

_Garreg Mach, Imperial Year 1183, 6/19. 6:30am_

Sylvain sleepily rolled onto his side, though didn't get very far due to the other body pressed up against his chest. With a sleepy hum, he wrapped his arm around Felix's waist and left a small kiss on his shoulder. Felix hummed back, cracking his eyes open. 

"I didn't hear you scream last night." Felix yawned, a slight content smile creeping onto his face.

"No, but I sure did hear yo---" Sylvain began, being cut off by a pillow being thrown at his face. "It's too early for that." Felix growled, feeling his face heat up again. Sylvain chuckled and pulled the pillow away, leaning onto his arm. "Mm...but you love me." He teased. Felix rolled his eyes, but didn't protest. 

Sylvain smiled at him lazily. "Hey."

"What, Sylvain?" 

"You have a feather in your hair." 

"You're about to have plenty in your mouth."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! I'm probably going to be writing more ngl.
> 
> Feel free to find me at @arcanefinch on tumblr and twitter for art and maybe asks.


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